Walmart and National Council on Aging Announce Partnership to Prevent Financial Exploitation of Older Americans

Program aims to empower older adults to protect their income from scam artists

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2019 – According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), Americans retiring today are living longer, with significantly less money saved, amid ever-increasing costs. In addition, older adults are frequently targeted by scam artists because they are thought to be vulnerable and have a significant amount of money sitting in their accounts. Today, Walmart and NCOA announced a national pilot program to empower older adults to protect themselves from financial fraud.

The national pilot will be implemented in communities across the United States. The pilot will include:

A tested educational curriculum on financial exploitation: Based on the success of NCOA’s Savvy Saving Seniors® program, the curriculum will highlight popular scams targeting seniors, provide tips for avoiding them, and offer next steps for victims of financial fraud.

In-person education at senior centers: NCOA’s National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC) will pilot the curriculum in four communities, hosting workshops and webinars to educate older adults on how to protect themselves and avoid becoming a victim of a financial scam.

“NCOA believes every person deserves to age well,” said Jim Firman, NCOA president and CEO. “Most older adults are living on a fixed income, making it critical that they protect and maximize their resources to maintain their financial well-being. Partnering with Walmart will help us reach more older adults with this important information.”

Since 1950, NCOA has been empowering older adults to improve their economic security and health. The organization offers real-life solutions, including BenefitsCheckUp®, an online resource where older adults can discover if they are eligible for benefits programs to help them pay for food, medicine, utilities, and more.

We help our customers save money and live better, and we want to help make sure our senior customers know how to protect the money they’ve saved for retirement. Raising awareness and providing tools to educate the elder population about fraud is an important way we can help support our customers later in life.

With more than 160 million Americans each week shopping Walmart in store and online, the retailer has a unique viewpoint when it comes to the needs of everyday Americans. Helping to preserve the retirement and well-being of senior citizens is one aspect of the retailer’s overall commitment to helping Americans save money and live better.

About NCOAThe National Council on Aging (NCOA) is the national voice for every person’s right to age well. NCOA empowers individuals with trusted solutions to improve their own health and economic security—and protects and strengthens federal programs that people depend on as they age. Working with a nationwide network of partners and directly with individuals, NCOA’s goal is to improve the lives of 10 million older adults by 2020. Learn more at ncoa.org and @NCOAging.

About WalmartWalmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, over 275 million customers and members visit our more than 11,300 stores under 58 banners in 27 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2019 revenue of $514.4 billion, Walmart employs over 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.